


Once upon an Impala

by ArivFroso, KagomeBenihime



Series: Treat for The Trickster [10]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean gets a serious frog in his throat, Fairy tales come to life, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 21:18:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17251559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArivFroso/pseuds/ArivFroso, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KagomeBenihime/pseuds/KagomeBenihime
Summary: after Gabriel spends the day helping Bobby, the brothers and their angel find a town where strange things are happening. soon enough, they soon join in as Dean becomes part of the story.





	Once upon an Impala

Gabriel moaned and complained all the way to Bobby’s house that he didn’t need time. He didn’t need to get benched. But Sam was worried, so he finally stopped as they pulled in.

They were there a day and a half when Sam came in with some newspapers. “I think I found something. Maybe.”

Gabriel looked up, more than eager to get out there again.

Dean looked up from a book he was reading. “What’d you find?”

“Possible demon omens,” Sam said, and listed them off.

“Could be nothin’,” Dean pointed out.

“Or it could be something,” Sam huffed.

“I say it's better safe than sorry,” Gabriel pointed out.

Sam nodded in agreement. Dean shrugged and went to get ready. Gabriel stood, ready to go but Sam held up his hand.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Sam asked.

“Coming with you,” Gabriel said, putting on his best puppy dog face.

Sam frowns and shakes his head. “You just got shot.”

“And then I healed!” Gabriel whined, pouting slightly.

“But what if you hadn’t?” Sam said, his eyes tearing up slightly. Finally lets himself think of the fear he’d had since Gabriel was hit. “What if I lost you?”

“You wouldn't be rid of me that easily…” Gabriel said, looking serious.

“But what if I had?” Sam insisted.

Gabriel sighed, flopping down on the couch with a groan of old springs and a humph.

Sam sighed and looked away. Can’t he understand how much he means to me? How devastated I’d be if I lost him…

Dean came in, bag over his shoulder. “Ready?” Sam nodded and followed him out, wondering if Gabriel would actually stay.

Gabriel looked at Bobby who was working on the colt. “I guess you're stuck with me for a bit…”

Bobby looked up from the colt. “You gonna be any use?”

Gabriel grinned. “Anything's better than sitting around. What do you need?”

“Well, you’ve been around a while. What can you tell me about this?” Bobby lifts the gun slightly to indicate it. “Now we’ve run out of bullets, it’s only as useful as a normal gun.”

Gabriel looked thoughtful for a moment. “There is a way to make new bullets… but it would take some ingredient hunting…”

“Oh, yeah?” Bobby sat forward, listening intently.

Gabriel nodded. “We need… holy oil, sage, and myrrh… then there's an incantation.”

Bobby nodded thoughtfully, pulling out a notebook and scribbling the list down. “Do you know it or where to find it?”

Gabriel nods again. “I'll write it down, but first I need to get some holy oil.”

“What do you have to do? Have a priest bless oil, like with holy water?”

Gabriel chuckled. “Not exactly…” And with a flap of wings, he disappeared.  
A few minutes later he appeared again with two earthenware jugs in hand.

“If Sam found out you left, we’d both be in deep shit. You know that, don’t you?” Bobby asked. He’d spent the time reassembling the colt.

Gabriel shrugged. “I won't tell if you don't.” He set the jars on the side table, making sure not to disturb the books near it. “This is oil from the olive tree Christ blessed. It's got several helpful properties. Including the jars never running out.”

“Huh.” Bobby stood to get a better look.

“Do you have myrrh?” Gabriel asked, looking around. Being a hunter, Bobby should already have sage, but myrrh was a bit harder to come by.

Bobby hummed thoughtfully. He moved over to a chest of drawers and started rummaging in them.

“I can go get some if we need it.” Gabriel said as he rummaged through the gun cabinet until he found the silver bullets.

“Ah, here,” Bobby said, pulling out a small box. “Wasn’t sure if I had used it all yet.”

Gabriel nodded slightly, taking the box. “Alright then.” He started mixing the ingredients. “Could you put those bullets in a metal bowl?”

Bobby nodded and went into the kitchen to grab one.

Once both the bowl and the ingredients were ready, Gabriel poured it onto the bullets “Signum est imitandum. Signum est imitandum." He said softly, as the bullets seemed to glow faintly. Bobby watched curiously, committing the words to memory for later use.

Gabriel sighed. “That should do it. Now if we only had something to practice on…”

Bobby shrugged. “I’ve still gotta adjust the sights on the gun itself.”

Gabriel nodded, “Can I come along? I need to stretch my wings…” 

Bobby shrugged, pocketed the bullets, and grabbed a few regular ones to practice with. He headed outside where a target was already set up.

Gabriel followed, creating a glamour of a young boy flying a golden kite, spreading his wings and swooping up into the air, relishing the wind in his hair.

Bobby looked back, confused by the kid and the kite in his junkyard. But he shrugged it off, knowing the angel was behind it somehow. He shot at the target, adjusted the sights with a file, and fired again; careful to use the regular bullets.

“Cute piece,” came a voice nearby that made Bobby jump.

He turned, aiming the gun at her. “Who the hell are you?”

“Won't stop a demon if that's what you think,” said the angry looking blonde, arms folded.

“And how would you know that?” Bobby demanded.

“Oh, I don't know…” Her gray eyes suddenly turned black as pitch. “Call it an educated guess.”

Gabriel saw them both down there, he remembered her from before… Ruby… Worried, he talked through his glamour quickly, “Are you alright, Bobby?”

The girl swiped her hand through the air and the kite string snapped. “Scram kid, this is grown up talk.”

Bobby knew he had normal bullets in the gun, but he didn’t care. He fired hitting her square in the chest.

She stood there for a moment, looking down at her chest, then up at him. “Ouch… that stings a little…”

Bobby opened the barrel and put in one of the bullets Gabriel had enchanted in. He closed the barrel again and aimed at her again. “What do you want?”

“Peace on earth,” she said, almost mockingly. “A new shirt. Now… do you want me to help you with that gun? Or not…”

“I’m gonna go with ‘not’,” Bobby said. “You got three seconds before I send your ass back to Hell.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I'm only trying to help Sam. But if you don't want it, fine.” She mock saluted him and vanished.

Bobby frowned and lowered the gun. “Guess I missed my chance to test ‘em…”

Gabriel landed beside him. “I'm sure there will be others.” 

They headed back to the house to see the answering machine blinking.

“Balls,” Bobby muttered, moving quickly over and hitting play.

Sam's voice came through. “Hey, Bobby, I need your help… something's going on here and I can't find Dean… call me when you get this.”

“Pack up, let’s go.” Bobby said, grabbing a duffel by the desk.

Gabriel nodded, running to grab his own bag, which- let's be honest- had more snacks in it then weapons.

Bobby met Gabriel in his old beater truck and they headed off to the small town Dean and Sam went to.

When they got there, they traced Sam's cell to a large house on the edge of town just in time to see a padre throwing Sam across the yard.

As the Father advances on Sam, Bobby fired the colt, hitting him with the blessed bullets.

The man jerked, the demon burned out and the body fell to the ground.

Gabriel rushed to Sam. “Are you alright?”

“Bobby,” Sam panted. When Gabriel was close enough, Sam grabbed him, his arm or shoulder, he wasn’t paying enough attention to care, he just needed that contact. “I’m fine,” he said, his breathing starting to normalize again.

“Where's Dean?” Gabriel asked, looking around.

“In the basement with another one,” Sam said, reaching for the gun.

Before he could take it from Bobby, Gabriel had teleported them both to the basement.

“Are you alright Dean?” Gabriel asked quickly, looking him over for injuries.

“Ya, I’m fine,” Dean said, getting to his feet. He couldn’t help thinking of all the times he’d done the same for Sam, checking him for injuries.

“Congrats, Dean,” the pretty girl near him said softly “Guess the cavalry got here first after all.”

Sam grabbed the gun and turned it on the woman.

“No, Sam, wait-" Dean tried, but it was too late. She fell to the ground, lit up from the inside for a moment, then still.

Sam’s expression was hard and cold.

“Sam….” Gabriel said softly, putting his hand on the gun. “She wasn't attacking…”

“She was a demon,” Sam said shortly as he lowered the gun.

Gabriel sighed softly, feeling Dean's stare. “Come on then… let's get out of here…”

Bobby drove his car while Dean followed in the Impala with Sam and Gabriel. Sam laid down in the back seat to try and get some sleep. Gabe rode shotgun, munching distractedly on a Twizzler. After a while of awkward silence, Dean cleared his throat.

Gabriel glanced at him questioningly, holding out a second twizzler to him.

Dean rolled his eyes but took it. He took a bite of it before saying, “So, I have a question for you…”

“Shoot,” Gabriel said, glancing back to see if Sam was asleep. Sam’s breathing was still deep and regular, he didn’t stir.

Dean sighed. “You… you did bring him back… Like… all of him?” Dean glanced over to see if Gabriel understood.

Gabriel looked confused for a moment but then comprehension dawned in his eyes. “Oh…” Gabriel sighed softly, checking Sam again before continuing. “Azazel was just trying to rattle you. It's what he does... demons always do, the princes especially.”

Dean looked again. “Princes?”

“Oh, right,” Gabriel sighed. “The princes of Hell. They were the first demons after Lilith. They're some of the most powerful. There's Azazel, Dagon, Asmodeus, and Ramiel.” He shrugged. “They tend to keep to themselves mostly, Azazel stuck around to run hell but… the others really couldn't be bothered.”

“I thought Satan ran Hell? Like, pitchfork and spade tail and the red jumpsuit,” Dean asked, halfheartedly trying to lighten the mood. He knew he’d be seeing it all first hand, thanks to Azazel.

Gabriel shook his head with a sigh. “He's been locked in a cage since before your history. The princes were supposed to run it in his stead.” There was silence for a bit before he muttered, “And he doesn't have the horns or tail… people gave him those to make him ‘look evil’.”

Dean frowned, looking at Gabriel again but decided not to ask. “So… another question. If Azazel’s dead, and the others can’t be bothered with it, who runs Hell now?”

Gabriel sighed softly, pulling a sucker out of the air. “I would guess Lilith, with the help of Alistar… but she could have someone else running the day to day, Alistar kinda has his hands full with-” Gabriel froze, as if just realizing something before shoving the sucker in his mouth.

“With what?” Dean demanded.

Gabriel sighed softly. “Torture,” he said, eyes on the road “He's the grand torturer there…”

Dean looked to the road, wishing he hadn’t asked. The rest of the ride passed in silence but as soon as they reached Bobby's they were off again on a new hunt to Maple Springs.

“So… you think it's a werewolf case?” Gabriel asked, looking at the info.

“Lunar cycle fits,” Sam said. “The victims were torn apart like an animal attack, but the survivor claims it was a guy.” Sam straightened his tie uncomfortably. “Guess we’ll find out more when we get there.”

Gabriel nodded leaning back in his seat. “Well, werewolves aren't too hard. This shouldn't take long.”

Sam looked back. “You’re not gonna change?”

Gabriel blinked “Change? Why?”

“Your coming too, ‘Detective’” Dean said, tossing him a badge they had made for him.

Gabriel caught it on instinct before he realized. “What? No… I look horrible in a suit guys, I-” Sam gave him the puppy dog eyes.

Gabriel sighed, snapping his fingers and poofing up a nice looking suit, muttering something about a funeral director. Sam smiled and settled down in his seat again.

At the hospital, the boys were shown to the survivor’s room. Dean pulled out his badge. “I’m Detective Plant. This is Detective Page and Detective Krypt. We’re with the county sheriff’s department.”

“Yeah, I’ve been expecting you guys,” Kyle said.

“You have?” Dean asked surprised.

“All morning. You’re the sketch artist, right?”

“Ah,” Sam said with a nod.

“Yes, that is exactly who my partner is,” Dean said. Sam gave him a look as if to ask ‘Seriously?’ Dean ignored him and plowed on. “The things he can do with a pen. But before we get started on that, I wanted to ask you. How’d you get away?”

“I… I don’t know. I was hiding and he found me. Then he just… stopped. Looked at me with this blank stare. After that he just took off running.”

Sam pulled his pad and pen out of his pocket. “Alright. I’m gonna need as much physical description as you can remember.”

Kyle nodded. “Uh, yeah, uh… he was about six feet tall.”

Sam nodded and mumbled, “Six,” as he started drawing.

“Dark hair."

“Um, what about his eyes? What color eyes did he have?” Sam asked.

“Maybe… blue? It was dark.”

Sam mumbled, “blue,” and drew a little more.

Dean cut in then. “Did they seem, uh, animalish?” Gabe gave him a look as if to say ‘Subtle.’

“Excuse me?” Kyle asked, looking thoroughly confused.

Sam cut in again. “What about his teeth? Notice anything strange about them?”

“No, they were just… teeth?”

“Teeth, ok,” Sam drew a little more.

“What about his fingernails?”

“Look, he’s just… just a normal guy. With normal eyes and teeth a-and fingernails.” Kyle said a bit exasperatedly.

“Look, sir, it’s okay-" Sam tried to say.

“No,” Kyle said, his voice breaking. “No. Those were my brothers. This guy… he killed my brothers.” He looked at Sam and added, “How would you feel?”

Sam nodded slightly. “Can’t imagine anything worse.” Dean clenched his jaw slightly, knowing Sam was thinking about Dean’s contract.

“Look, I know this isn’t easy, but if you can remember any more details…” Dean said gently.

“There is one more thing. He had a-a tattoo on his arm of a cartoon character. The, uh, he’s the guy… he’s always chasing the roadrunner?”

“Wile E. Coyote,” Dean and Gabe exclaimed simultaneously.

“Ya, that’s it,” Kyle said, looking like he was running out of energy.

The doctor came over then to check on Kyle. Dean pulled out his badge and asked to speak to the doctor.

Sam was about to follow when Kyle asked, “Wait, don’t I get to see it?”

Sam hesitated, knowing how it looked. “Sure, uh… sure.” He turned it.

Kyle took it to look, there was a moment of silence before, “That's really good.”

Sam smiled weakly, thinking Kyle was just being nice until he took it back and looked at it. He blinked in surprise before looking at Gabriel, who winked at him with a grin

“Thank you for your time,” Gabriel said, reaching forward to shake his hand, “I'm sorry for your lose.”

They met Dean down the hall. “So the doctor gave me the rundown of the autopsies.”

“Hearts missing?” Sam guessed.

“No. But parts of their lungs and liver were,” Dean said.

Gabriel made a face. “Sounds… appetizing…”

“So… not a werewolf,” Sam concluded with a sigh.

“Let’s get a hotel then check out the scene. Maybe there’s some clues there,” Dean suggested.

Gabriel nodded, following them and thinking.

As soon as they got into the room, they changed out of the stuffy suits. Sam pulled out his laptop to get directions to the scene.

Gabriel sat at the table, rubbing the back of his neck absently. Something…

Dean came up behind Sam. “So, what are we thinking? Demon possession? Vengeful spirit?”

Sam shook his head. “I don’t know, Dean.”

Gabriel fiddled with his sealing ring slightly. Maybe if I…

Sam looked over to Gabriel, his eye catching on the movement. “You alright?” he called in his thoughts.

Gabriel jumped slightly, before nodding. “Yeah, I'm good…” He saw Sam giving him that look so he sighed and continued. “I can sense… something… but I'm not sure what…”

“So you’re thinking about taking off the ring,” Sam guessed.

Gabriel hung his head slightly. “I could pinpoint whatever I'm feeling if I did… but…”

“But there’s a chance you could have your power rebound again,” Sam thought, the words tinged with fear and worry.

Gabriel sighed softly. “Yeah… but…” he sighed again, he felt so useless when he couldn't help them… but he knew that he needed the ring to keep them safe too…

Sam stood and moved over to him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. “It’s alright. We’ll figure it out.”

Gabriel held on to Sam’s arms tightly, leaning his head back against his chest and sighing softly. How had he gotten so lucky to have someone like Sam?

Sam kissed the top of his head.

“You know what? I’ll go check out the scene,” Dean said in a grumpy tone. “You two better stop being so mushy by the time I get back.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Aww, you like mushy, Dean. Don't lie.” Gabriel grinned at Dean cheekily. “After all, why else would you watch soap operas at three in the morning~?”

Dean’s ears turned red. He huffed and stormed out.

Sam chuckled softly. “He watches soap operas?”

Gabriel giggled “Yeah. But I can't totally blame him. Doctor Sexy is pretty handsome.” Gabriel looked at him with a sigh. “I probably shouldn't have teased him about it though…”

Sam shrugged. “He’s a big boy. He’ll get over it.” 

Gabriel sighed. “I guess…” He glanced at the door. He was always teasing people, that was who he was, but he didn't want Dean to hate him because of it.

Sam kissed Gabe’s hair again before pulling back to sit down again.

Gabriel smiled softly, moving to flop on the bed Sam had picked as theirs, sighing softly. “I can definitely feel something… but what it is… I'm not positive…” He rolled around a little bit kicking his feet like a kid trying to get comfortable for story time. “Doesn't feel like a demon… or angel for that matter…”

Sam watched him. “You think angels would be behind killings?”

Gabriel scoffed slightly. “Ever heard of the plagues of Egypt, or Sodom and Gomorrah? Most angels… see humans as below them. They could care less if they killed a few hundred.” Gabriel hugged a pillow and sighed, thinking about how he had always wondered if that was why dad had stayed away.

Sam frowned. That didn’t seem right to him. Angels were supposed to be the good guys, right? “You don’t talk about them much,” Sam commented.

“Mostly because I've been gone,” Gabriel said softly, his thoughts still on Dad. “I've been gone for millennia… I like to hope things have gotten better but…” He sighed. “Michael would be the one in charge right now… so it wouldn't be too bad… if he's paying attention…”

“What about… you know, God?” Sam asked softly.

Gabriel sighed sadly. “Took off… even before I left… After Lucifer he… he just left…” Gabriel tugged at the pillow slightly, eyes down.

Sam sat forward curiously. “After Lucifer?”

Gabriel blinked before cursing himself softly, me and my big mouth… “Sam,” he said, “I promised I’d never lie to you, but… I shouldn’t talk about this stuff… at least… not right now… alright?”

Sam sat back. His curiosity was still burning, but he understood. “Ya, alright.” He made a mental note to reread the Bible.

Dean came back not long later. “No sulfur, low emf… I’m thinking some kind of ghost possession.”

“Let’s get some sleep. We can hit the death records in the morning,” Sam suggested.

Gabriel nodded, still worried Sam might be upset at him for cutting off the conversation earlier.

Dean nodded too before faceplanting his bed. He was out in a matter of seconds.

Sam chuckled. He stood and stretched. He kicked his shoes off at the foot of the bed before crawling up next to Gabriel.

Gabriel curled up against Sam's chest, sighing softly.

Sam wrapped his arms around Gabriel and settled in to sleep.

The next morning they went to the nearby diner to get some breakfast and learned that a brother and sister out hiking had been attacked by an old woman, the sister had survived.

Gabriel seemed thoughtful as they left to get their suits on and talk to her.

“What’s on your mind,” Sam asked as he tied his own tie.

Gabriel sighed “Somethings nagging at me… I don't know… I just feel… dejavu?”

Sam nodded. “Gonna change?”

Gabriel shook himself. “Yeah… sorry.” He snapped on his suit and checked the mirror, straightening his tie slightly. Sam smiled.

At the hospital, they moved to the room of a young woman. The doctor was calming her down, talking her into staying. As the doctor left the room he saw the three approaching.

“Detectives.”

“Dr. Garrison,” Dean greated.

“What the hell’s going on here? My whole town’s going insane,” the doctor said.

“We’ll let you know as soon as we do,” Sam said.

The doctor nodded and left them to it.

“Miss Watson?” Dean asked, flashing his badge. “Hi. Just need to ask you a few questions.”

“Do we have to go over this again? Now?” she asked, close to tears.

“We’ll try to be brief,” Sam assured her. She sighed but nodded. “Miss Watson, could you tell us how you got away?”

She nodded, steeling herself. “I didn’t eat as much as Ken did, so I wasn’t as out of it. And,” her voice broke, “when the old woman was… carving up Ken, I shoved her. And she fell, cracked her head on the stove. She’s dead, right? I-I killed her?”

“Do you have any idea why she did this to you,” Dean asked, choosing not to answer her question.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “One minute she’s just a sweet old lady, and the next she was like a monster.”

Dean nodded thoughtfully.

“Can you remember anything else?” Sam asked gently.

She looked away thoughtfully. “Um, ya,” she said with a sniffle. “Did you find a little girl there, by any chance?”

“A little girl?” Sam asked. “At the house?”

“I thought I saw her outside the window. S-she just disappeared. Just vanished into thin air.” The boys looked at each other. “It… must have been the drugs,” she said quickly.

“This disappearing girl, what did she look like?” Dean asked.

“Does it matter?” she asked, confused.

“Yes. Every detail matters,” Sam encouraged.

She took a deep breath. “She had this dark, dark hair and really pale skin. She was around eight. She was a beautiful child. It was… odd to see her in the middle of something so horrible.”

“Something really strange is going on here,” Gabriel said as they drove up to the scene to look around. “I can't put my finger on it though…”

“Strange is kinda what we do,” Sam said.

Gabriel nodded distractedly “I guess…”

They got to the house and started looking around. “I can't sense any sulfur,” Gabriel said. “But there is some EMF by that window…” He pointed. “There was definitely something here.”

Dean pulled out his homemade detector and held it by the window. It whired and warbled. “So, what? The ghost of some kid watched granny go postal?”

Sam frowned. “Or the ghost made her. But I still don’t understand why.”

Gabriel shook his head. “It… doesn't feel like a ghost…”

“Um, emf means ghost,” Dean said, his tone harsh.

Gabriel shook his head again. “Not always, there are ways for a-”

“The kid disappeared into thin air,” Dean cut over him. “The hell would you call that besides a ghost?”

Gabriel blinked, surprised. He hadn't expected Dean to snap at him like that. “A trance spirit… was what I was going to say…” He looked at Sam. “Where a spirit isn't dead, but has episodes where they can leave their body and control others.”

Sam nodded. “So you think the girl isn’t dead?”

Gabriel nodded. “It seems like the attacks are rather random, different times of the day, but maybe they're the moments she can project.”

Dean frowned. “But-” He couldn’t finish as a frog came out of his mouth and hopped away. Dean looked like he was gonna throw up. “How the h-" Another frog came crawling out of his mouth. Dean spat it out.

Gabriel's eyes widened. “That's it…” He looked at Sam. “Fairy tales!”

“Fairy tales?” Sam frowned. “Like Brother’s Grimm?”

Gabriel nodded. “Think about it… the three brother contractors, attacked by a man with a wolf tattoo, the brother and sister, attacked by an old woman after getting lost in the woods. Your brother spitting out frogs when he talks after insulting a fairy-”

Dean snorted.

“I can wear that title just fine, thank you,” Gabriel said before continuing. “It's the three little pigs, Hansel and Gretel, and diamonds and toads!”

“Those guys were a little chubby,” Dean said quickly before another frog crawled out.

Sam gave him a look. “Was it worth the frog to say that?”

Dean shook his head, looking like he thoroughly regretted saying anything.

Gabriel sighed softly. “I'm surprised. You'd think you'd be showing the other half of that fairy tale by now if it was…”

“I’m good,” Sam said. “I don’t need frogs. But we need to find this girl.”

Gabriel nodded. “Let's go.” They got back to town and were walking toward their hotel again when Gabriel stopped dead. “Uh… guys?” He points to a nearby house where a pumpkin was sitting on the porch surrounded by mice.

“It’s close to Halloween?” Dean said sarcastically, producing another frog.

“Cinderella,” Sam said, as Dean tried to spit out the frog slime. He glanced down the street before moving up to the door. Gabriel hurried with him, waving his hand and unlocking the door. Sam nodded and moved inside. Dean followed behind them and shut the door once they were all inside. They searched a bit before a noise from the kitchen had them all on edge.

“Help! I'm in here!” came a girls voice.

Sam hurried in with the others close behind. In the kitchen they found a young girl, handcuffed to the stove.

Dean knelt quickly to pick the lock on her cuffs, motioning for Sam and Gabriel to keep their eyes open.

“You have to help me!” the girl said in a panic. “She's a lunatic!”

“Who?” Gabriel asked, looking around.

“My stepmom…” the girl said. “She just went crazy, screamed at me, beat me, and chained me up.”

“Where is she now?” Sam asked.

The girl shook her head.

Dean glanced over and saw a little girl standing in the other room, watching them. “Sam.”

The little girl turned and walked away. Dean stood up and followed while Sam helped ‘Cinderella’. Each time he got to where he’d seen her, she was turning and walking away again. Eventually, she appeared behind him.

“Who are you?” Dean asked, and another frog crawled out of his mouth.

The girl flickered and disappeared, leaving an apple where she’d been standing.

Gabriel moved in and picked up the apple. “Snow white…” he said softly.

Dean watched him. He didn’t open his mouth to ask, fearing another frog. He went to check on Sam and the girl. Sam had gotten her unchained and moved to a couch.

“Paramedics are on their way,” Sam said when Dean and Gabe entered the room.

Dean nodded, giving him a thumbs up. The paramedics came and took ‘Cinderella’. The boys were getting into the car. 

Gabriel held up the apple. “Got a lead.”

“Little girl, shiney red apple. Guessing that means something to you, fairy tale boy,” Dean said before spitting out a frog.

Sam took the apple. “Snow white…?”

“I saw that one. The porn version anyway. There was this wicked stepmother. Woo, she was wicked,” Dean said, spitting out another frog every other sentence but still grinning at the memory

“There was an evil stepmother,” Sam said, obviously grossed out by Dean’s evident lack of care about the frogs. “She poisoned Snow White.”

“But it didn’t kill her,” Dean remembered.

“No, but it put her into a deep sleep, it was almost like she was dead.” Sam looked at the apple in his hand.

“That could explain the trance state,” Gabriel said. “A coma patient.”

Sam nodded. “Let’s go to the hospital.”

They hurried to the hospital and headed for the coma ward to ask the head nurse.

“No, sorry…” she said, shaking her head. “We don't have any little girls in the coma ward. It’s mostly old guys… and, well, Callie. She’s been here since before my time.”

“Callie?” Dean asked. Sam shot him a warning look. The last thing they needed was Dean spitting frogs in the hospital.

“Yeah. And poor Dr. Garrison just won’t give up on her,” the nurse said.

“Was she a patient of his?” Sam asked.

“His daughter,” she said before getting pulled away by one of the other nurses.

“His daughter,” Gabriel mused thoughtfully. “He could be reading her fairy tales on his breaks. That's why it's at strange times.”

They walk along the doors til they see a name plate reading ‘Callie Garrison’. The door was open so they saw the doctor reading from a black leather book. "'Just press the latch,' called out the Grandmother. 'I'm too weak to get up.'"

“Doctor?” Gabriel asked softly, feeling bad for interrupting.

The doctor looked up, slipping a bookmark into the book. “Detectives,” he said, standing up and setting the book aside. “Can I help you?” He put his reading glasses in his pocket.

“We just... heard that Callie is your daughter,” Gabriel said

“And we wanted to say how very sorry we are,” Sam said, giving the doctor his most sincere sad puppy look.

Dr. Garrison nodded. “Well, uh. Thank you. If you'll excuse me…” He started walking down the hall.

“Oh, we’re headed this way too,” Gabriel said. “We’ll walk with you.” As they all started walking together, he asked, “How long has Callie been like that?”

“We don’t mean to intrude,” Sam said quickly. “We can’t possibly understand how hard it is seeing her like this.”

“Yeah, it’s not easy,” the doctor agreed. “She’s been here since she was eight years old.”

“That’s when she was poisoned?” Sam guessed.

“Ya, swallowed bleach. Never figured out how she got her hands on the bottle. My wife found her, brought her to the E.R.,” the doctor motioned vaguely down the hall ahead of them, “here, and I was on call.”

“Your wife, was that Callie’s stepmother?” Gabriel asked.

The doctor stopped to look at him. “Actually, yes. How did you know that?”

“The way you said ‘my wife’ and not ‘Callie’s mom’,” Gabriel said. “Wording is all.”

“Well, Julie is the only mother Callie ever knew. My wife passed away last year, and, uh,” the doctor’s voice tightened slightly with emotion, “it’s just my daughter and me now. She’s all I got left.” He checked his watch suddenly. “Um, excuse me. I’ve got to get back to work.”

The boys nodded and the doctor hurried off down the hall.

“Well, you’re right. It’s Snow White in spades,” Dean said, spitting out a frog.

“Yep. Stepmom poisons the girl, puts her into a deep sleep,” Sam said. “What’s motive, you think?”

“Could be like Mischa Barton,” Dean said. “Sixth Sense, not the O.C.” He spit out another frog.

“What?” Sam asked in confusion, watching the frogs hop away. The boys started walking down the hall to try and distance themselves from the frogs.

“Hey, you know fairy tales, I know movies,” Dean said, sending another frog hopping. “She played the pastey ghost. The mom had that thing, you know, where you keep the kid sick so you get all the attention.” Another frog hopped away.

“Oh, ya, ya, ya,” Sam said. “Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Huh, could be.

“So say all these years, Callie’s been suffering silently because nobody knows the truth about what mommy dearest did.” Dean spit out another frog.

“And after all this time, her spirit just gets angrier and angrier until it finally just starts lashing out,” Sam put in.

“And meanwhile she has to listen to dad tell her these deranged stories about a rabid wolf or a cannibalistic old lady. It’s enough to drive anybody nuts.” Dean spit another two frogs.

“Maybe you should… stop talking…” Gabriel said, looking down at the growing number of frogs and mentally thanking Dad that they hadn't been seen.

Dean made a scoff sound, as if to say ‘Yeah right.’

“Ok, but how are we gonna stop her?” Sam asked. “She’s stuck here. Her father’s keeping her body alive.”

“That does make it hard to burn the bones,” Dean admitted with another frog.

“You think?” Sam scoffed.

An older woman was rushed into the ER. Dr. Garrison rushed in as well. “What’s the status?”

“72 year old female, sustained multiple lacerations and puncture wounds. Bp’s 80 over 40 and falling. Sinus tachycardia.”

The doctor touched a wound on her neck. “Is that a… bite?”

“Looks like she was mauled by a mad dog or maybe a wolf.”

“What was the last story Dr. Garrison was reading Callie?” Dean asked and spit another frog.

“Little red riding hood,” Sam said softly.

The boys watched as a sheet was laid over her body. They moved over to one of the medics that had brought her in.

“Excuse me,” Sam said. All three held up their badges. “Was she the only victim?”

“She was found by the side of the road, barely alive. Alone.”

“We need to find her next of kin,” Gabriel said.

The medic looked through some papers in his hands. “She has a granddaughter.”

“Do you have an address?” Gabriel asked.

The man handed the paper to Dean. They thanked him.

“You two stay here. Find a way to stop Callie” Dean said, spitting out a frog.

“What about you?” Sam asked.

“I’m gonna go stop the big bad wolf. Which is the weirdest thing I’ve ever said,” Dean said, two more frogs hopping away from him. He turned and walked away.

Sam looked at Gabriel.

Gabriel shrugged. “How we gonna do this?”

Down at the nurse station, a young nurse screamed as one of the frogs hoped by.

Sam winced and cursed Dean under his breath. “Will you clean up after him? I’ll try and talk to the doctor.”

Gabriel saluted and hurried off to catch the frogs and reassure the pretty young nurses.

Sam rolled his eyes and hurried down the hall until he saw ahead of him, “Doctor Garrison! I need to speak with you.”

The doctor stopped and turned to him. “Detective. What can I do for you?”

Sam said. “Well, um, it’s about Callie.”

“My daughter? What about her?” the doctor asked, taking his reading glasses off.

“You know, maybe… maybe could we sit down for a minute?”

“No, what about her,” the doctor insisted.

“Ok, well, um…” Sam took a breath to give himself time to think. “Alright, doctor, this isn’t gonna be easy. What happened to Callie was not an accident.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry but it’s true,” Sam said.

“You have no idea what happened to my daughter,” the doctor accused. He started to walk away.

Sam followed. “There are things you don’t know, doctor, about your wife.”

“My wife?” He asked, not stopping.

“Doctor, your wife poisoned Callie,” Sam said.

Finally the doctor stopped, turning to face Sam. “Why would you say something so horrible to me?”

“Because I need your help,” Sam said, stepping closer.

“You stay away from me,” the doctor said angrily. “And from my daughter. You understand?” He moved into Callie’s room.

Sam moved to follow. “Doctor, this is- Please-" But the doctor shut the door in his face. Sam looked down the hall one way, then the other, steeling himself for what he had to do. He opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind himself.

“I’m calling security,” the doctor said, moving toward the phone on the wall.

Sam got there first and put his hand over it. “No, listen, I don’t have time to do this gently. If you don’t listen to me, more people are gonna get hurt. Because Callie is going to hurt them.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” the doctor asked angrily.

“You’re gonna think I’m crazy, but just understand me. Your daughter, Callie, is still here. She’s a spirit.”

The doctor looked down slowly. He turned to look at his daughter. After a moment he sat on the bed and faced Sam. “So you’ve seen her, too?”

Meanwhile, Dean got to the address. He broke in the door, gun ready as he entered the house. He looked up the stairs before moving into another room. By the walkway between it and the next room, he saw a girl hiding and wearing a red hoodie. He knelt beside her and hope he didn’t start spewing frogs. “You ok?”

She nodded. Then her eyes slid past him and she screamed. Dean and the ‘wolf’ fought. Dean lost his gun and was thrown into a china cabinet.

“I sensed her,” the doctor told Sam, back at the hospital. “Callie. Her presence, her scent. I even saw her standing at the foot of my bed, but I never believed it. I thought I was dreaming. I-"

“It wasn’t a dream,” Sam said. The doctor looked up at him. “She looks like she did when she was eight. White dress, red ribbon in her hair. She’s been trying to talk to you.”

“You’re not a cop, are you?” the doctor asked.

“No,” Sam admitted.

“Then who are you?” the doctor asked, an accusation in his tone.

“Someone who knows a little about this kind of thing.”

“Well, what you said. About my wife poisoning Callie, that-"

“Sir,” Sam said, soft but firm, “Callie told us.”

“What?”

“Not in so many words, but in her own way. She told us.”

“My wife loved Callie,” the doctor shook his head as he spoke. “So how is that possible?”

“I don’t know,” Sam admitted. “But it is.”

“No. No, I don’t believe you."

“Look, Callie is killing people,” Sam said insistently. “She’s angry. She’s desperate because no one will listen to her. So you have to listen to her. Please… listen to your daughter.”

Meanwhile, Dean still fought the wolf, getting thrown around. The ghost of Callie watched, smiling. Dean looked beside himself and found a knitting bag. He grabbed the scissors sticking out of it. He took on the offense, swiping the point at the wolf. He landed a hit with the handle to the wolf’s face.

Doctor Garrison spoke to Callie’s body in the hospital. “Callie? Callie, it’s daddy.” The ghost of the little girl vanished from the fight. “It’s me, daddy,” he continued. “Is it true? Mommy do that to you? I-I know I wasn’t listening before, but I’m listening now. Daddy’s here. Please, honey, is there any way you can tell me?”

Sam looked past the bed. “Doctor?”

The doctor followed his gaze and saw his little girl, standing by the foot of the bed. “Is it true?” he asked once he got over the initial shock. The little girl nodded without a word.

Meanwhile Dean and the wolf still fought. Dean was loosing.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, baby. But listen to me. You gotta stop what you’re doing, ok? You’re hurting people. I know everything now. I know the truth. It’s time for you… to let go. It’s time for me to let you go.” The heart monitor beeped softly in the background. The doctor stood, turned and kissed Callie’s forehead. Before he straightened up, the monitor flatlined.

Dean managed to turn them over. Ready to bring the scissors down.

“Woah! Stop! Stop!” the ‘wolf’ said suddenly, no longer fighting back. “Woah. Woah. Stop. Woah. Wh-where am I? What’s going on?”

Dean lowered the scissors. Exhausted.

The doctor cried over his daughter. The little girl was gone.

Gabriel hurried into the room, arms full of frogs. “Got them,” he said proudly, before picking up the energy in the room. “Oh…” he said, more softly now, before snapping the frogs away and moving to Sam. “The girl’s safe, Dean-o’ll be back after he catches his breath.”

“Girl?” the doctor asked. “You mean Callie?”

“No, doctor,” Sam explained reluctantly. “You were reading little red riding hood. The grandmother was brought in earlier.”

The doctor nodded, remembering. “So the wolf that attacked the grandma went after the granddaughter too?”

Sam nodded. “Pretty much. But she’ll be alright now. Thanks to you.”

The doctor looked away, fighting off more tears. “Callie was the most important thing in my life… but I should have let her go a long time ago.”

Sam nodded slightly. “Thank you for your help.”

“See you around, doc,” Gabriel said casually, leading Sam out.

“I certainly hope not,” the doctor said dryly, sitting on the edge of the bed again.

Sam slipped his hand into Gabriel’s as they walked.

“What he said,” Gabriel said after a bit. “About letting go… You might have to.”

Sam looked at Gabriel, shocked. “We are not giving up on Dean.”

“I didn’t say we were,” Gabriel said soothingly. “I just want you to be ready if we don’t-"

Sam took his hand back out of Gabriel’s. “We will figure it out,” he said stubbornly.

Gabriel sighed softly. “If we don't… I'm not saying I'm giving up, Sam, I'm just saying that there's always the chance…”

Sam shook his head and led the way outside as the Impala pulled up.

Gabriel followed, looking worried.

They got in and Dean pulled away. “Good news,” Dean said, smiling and not noticing the mood. “No more frogs.”

Gabriel sighed softly, trying to hide a smile. “Great… now you get to talk…” 

“Hey, do you have any idea how hard it was, keeping my mouth shut in front of people?” Dean asked, only half joking.

Sam sighed and looked out his window.

Dean frowned as he realized Sam wasn’t joining in. “What’s wrong?”

“Other than you’re going to Hell? Not much, Dean. Everything is just peachy,” Sam said darkly.

Dean took a deep breath. “I’m not going down without a fight. You know that… right?”

Sam nodded a little. “I’m just… worried…”

Dean nodded. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

Gabriel sighed softly “There… are some options…”

Sam looked back at him. “Like what?”

Gabriel shook his head, not meeting Sam's eyes. “I'll tell you at Bobby's…”


End file.
